Her Life to Live
by JackOfBladesX
Summary: FemNaru. Based on challenge by Dracohalo117. After her real father's return to Konoha, she disappeared three years ago, but her faux-father finally tracked her down. He wants her to come back, but what about what she wants? Rated for language/themes.


**Disclaimor: I don't own Naruto, I'm just doing this for fun, and to entertain.**

**A/N: This is a one-shot in response to a challenge issued by ****Dracohalo117. **** This is also a fem-Naru story, if you don't like those, then I suggest you don't read it.**

**Enjoy**

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Her Life to Live**

The building was bustling with people. Most of the patrons were from the upper class, but there were obviously a few who were middle class among the crowd. They were dressed in lavish robes, beautiful shades of red, purple, and gold. Marble statues and elegant paintings adorned the walls, adding class to the establishment.

"Eden", as the place was known, was the most expensive and most elegant casino within the elemental nations…maybe the whole world. Beautiful, buxom waitresses walked around the establishment, serving the many patrons. They were dressed in what most people referred to as play-boy bunny outfits, of various colors. Though the women weren't call girls, by any stretch of the word, it was handy to have girls walk around in such outfits. What better way to separate rich patrons from their money, than to have them watching a hot piece of ass, when they should be concentrating on whatever game they were playing?

One man, dressed in a beautiful, yet manly, purple robe walked down the casino. He had been walking around for the past five minutes, when he finally found the table he had been looking for. Ignoring the ringing of the slot machines and the giggling waitresses; the man quickly sat down at a blackjack table.

"Twenty-one, dealer wins. Sorry sweetie." The beautiful dealer giggled. Her red hair, done up in an elegant bun, framed her almond-shaped face perfectly. The red kimono she wore was adorned with pink cherry blossoms. It opened up around her chest, showing a fair amount of cleavage, and cut off just short of knees. Her blue eyes, which literally glowed in an unnatural light, held a look of childish mirth, yet managed to look seducing at the same time. She looked to be about eighteen years of age, though he personally knew the girl was actually about sixteen.

The patron, the only other one at the table, got up and smiled at her, "I'm not." He tossed her a blue chip and then left the table without another word.

Giggling, she tucked the chip between her breasts and then turned towards the man who just joined her table. His spiky white hair was done in a ponytail. "Hey sweetie, bets start at five thousand ryo."

The man placed a few chips in front of him.

With both skill and grace she shuffled the cards and cut the deck. She then dealt the man two cards face-down, and dealt herself two cards face-up. "Dealer has thirteen. Hit or stay?"

Peaking at his cards, he quickly replied, "Hit."

She dealt him a card face-up. It was a five. "Hit or stay?"

"Stay." He said as he flipped his cards over. "Nineteen."

"Dealer hits." She said as he dealt herself another card face-up, a seven. "Dealer has twenty, dealer wins." She took his chips before taking back his cards.

The man scowled. Her luck hadn't changed at all in the last three years. If he didn't know any better he'd say she was cheating. Unfortunately, her sleeves were far to short, stopping just short of her elbows, to be hiding cards in. That and he had been watching her hands the entire time. "Deal again."

She began shuffling the cards, as he threw in another few chips. She dealt them, two cards face-down to him and two cards face-up for herself. He scowled as she giggled again. "Dealer has twenty-one." She said as she quickly grabbed his chips.

"Deal again."

"You're really bad at this you know." She laughed as she began shuffling the cards. "You should really reconsider."

He smirked at her, "Didn't realize it was your job to tell paying customers when to stop betting."

"When my customer are as bad as the _Legendary Sucker_, I feel the need to coerce them to go elsewhere", she returned the smirk.

The man scowled, "That was a low blow."

"Yea well…what can ya do."

He sighed as she dealt the cards. As he looked at her, he fought the urge to reach out and touch her cheek. To trace the three whisker-marks adorning them. "Many people miss you."

"There are a few people I miss too. But they weren't enough to make me stay." She said without losing a beat. She then shot the man a coy smile as he flipped his cards over, revealing a seventeen. "Dealer wins again with nineteen."

The man scowled. If he didn't move this along, he was going to be broke. "Why? Why did you leave?"

She shrugged, "I thought that would have been obvious." She said as she dealt the cards. "The Yondaime is alive, so is his wife, and they have a daughter who was born the day of the Kyuubi attack, whom also came back with them." On October tenth, the day of her birthday and the day the village normally celebrates the demise of the Kyuubi, the village had a new holiday. The daughter of their returning hero had been born on thirteen years from this day, October 10th, on the day of the Kyuubi attack "I got pissed off and decided to leave after that." Dealing herself an eleven, she turned to the man, "Hit or stay?"

He quickly looked at his cards, "Stay. There are things you don't understand-"

"Let me stop you right there Jiraiya", the young lady said with an edge in her voice. "After thinking about it for a while, I've come to two conclusions. Either **A**, he damned me instead of damning his daughter…which makes him an ass. Or **B**, I'm his daughter to, which means he took my _sister_ away with him while leaving me to rot…which, again, makes him an ass. Am I wrong?" She dealt herself another card, bringing her up to twenty-one. She flashed him another smile, "Dealer has twenty-one."

Jiraiya flinched, at her deduction not at her cards. From the evidence, it was evident that those were the only two options, though she still wasn't sure of which one obviously. Barely paying attention, he flipped his cards over revealing a twenty. As she took his chips and the cards back, he began "If you want to know-"

"I don't. Play again?", mirth was once again in her eyes.

The man nodded with a slight scowl, "You're enjoying this attack on my pocketbook way too much."

"I get ten percent of my winnings as commission. Of course I'm enjoying every second of it." She said as she skillfully shuffled the deck. "I'll do a toast later to the fans of Icha Icha Paradise."

Ignoring the barb, the man sighed. "You do know I'm going to bring you back to the village right?"

"I'm sure it isn't anything personal." She replied as she dealt again, saying it as if were an insult. "Just promise you won't take it personally when I fight back…and win, mind you." She re-dealt the cards.

Jiraiya chuckled as if to say, 'As if.' Jiraiya flipped his current hand over revealing seventeen.

She gave herself an extra card before declaring, "Nineteen, dealer wins."

He scowled again, as he nodded for the girl to deal again, "Mind answering a few questions?"

Natsuko nodded, "Sure, it'll give me a chance to get you drunk for our incoming fight." She waved as she gestured a waitress over. If he weren't so concentrated on bringing the girl back to the village, for her safety, he probably would be busy ogling half the women in this place. "Two drinks, hardest sake you have." The waitress nodded before turning around. She winked to him in a way that reminded him of some of the girls he usually…spent time with. "I'll even have one with you." Coming from her, it was very upsetting. He remembered the girl before she left the village. She had a very boyish look, short blonde hair, she was short, and had no figure at all. You could barely tell she was a girl at all, especially when she wore that heavy jumpsuit.

'Three years later, and now look at her', Jiraiya thought with a scowl. She wasn't supposed to be sexy; she was supposed to stay innocent for the rest of her life. Or at least until he died. Shaking his head at the thought, he began doing a happy dance in his head. He knew a few techniques that made him immune to liquor, no matter how hard it may be.

Unbeknownst to the man, Natsuko was completely immune to poisons, alcohol included.

"Let's see, where should I begin-"

"Oh, and I won't be telling you about any of my combat training."

Jiraiya scowled.

"Oh stop that, I'm not going to give you a list of my Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and Genjutsu…then you may stand a chance."

"Fine. Now-"

"Oh and I get to ask you questions to."

The man rolled his eyes, "Any other rules?"

"No I think that's it."

The man nodded, "Fine. Tell me how you avoided Konoha for so long, I searched every town I could for you. From the most likely spots to the least likely spots."

She winked, "That's your problem there, you forgot to look in the last spot I would ever **willingly** go to."

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow.

"I spent a month in a brothel. Hit or stay?" she stated nonchalantly.

Jiraiya's eyes widened. He gritted his teeth. He released a concentrated amount of killer intent into the air. Though they didn't know what was happening, it was obvious the aura was affecting the other clients. "You what!" From the moment they reached the first town, on their Search for Tsunade, she expressed her utter loathing for brothels. Especially when she found out he usually frequented some of the establishments. It was one of the only things that both her and Sakura agreed on. Secretly, Jiriaya was glad at that.

"Relax, I never actually did anything there. Nothing sexual that is."

"You're lying", he said accusingly. "You don't spend a fucking MONTH in a brothel _without_ doing anything", he hissed in a harsh whisper, trying to make sure in his anger that he didn't reveal too much to other patrons.

She glared at him. "I have no intention of going back to Konoha with you and I don't give a damn about your opinion or your respect…WHY would I bother lying to you. Twenty-one, dealer wins."

That comment, though upsetting, calmed the man down somewhat. She really didn't have a reason to lie to him it's true, so maybe he was being honest. "But you had sex with that little shit in Wave Country."

"Oh him? So that's how you found me." That event happened a little over a month ago. It wasn't until later that she realized that she left a set of matches with the casino's name and logo at the boy's place. Though it didn't explain how Jiraiya tracked the boy down, which was moot at this point really, it did explain how he tracked _her_ down. She shrugged, "Yea I did. Though, as I'm sure you know, that happened about a month ago. At that point I was legal in most countries, even if I wasn't a ninja. That's your second question by the way." She said, looking in deep thought. "If it makes you feel any better, he's the only guy I ever slept with."

"Why?"

She shrugged, "Three questions. Partially out of rebellion, partially out of wanting to experience it. Twenty, dealer wins."

'Rebellion?' the man thought curiously. "I can't believe you _slept_ with that little bastard." It wasn't really a question, more of an outraged statement.

"I can't believe you _sleep _(present tense) with prostitutes and strippers." She shot back.

"That's different."

"How?"

"That's one question", he said with a smirk, which made her pout. "How is it different? Simple, I'm a guy, an experienced old man who has lived a long time, and you're a girl."

At that, Natsuko looked offended. "That's it, your reasoning is some lame Slut-Stud Philosophy?"

Jiraiya grinned, "That's your second question, and yes…yes it is." Slut-Stud philosophy is a general view that society had regarding relationships between men and women. If a male was promiscuous, he was considered a stud. If a female was promiscuous, she was a slut. It was a ridiculous double standard on the sexes. "Hit me."

"You bust, dealer wins." 'Oh yea…I'm going to kick his ass.' She thought as she sipped her drink. "Why do you care about me so much?"

"Hit me. By the way, asking for clarifications doesn't count as _questions_." He quickly stated, getting a nod from the girl across from him. What do you mean, why did I spend three years of my life looking for you?"

She nodded.

"After I lost…thought I lost, Minato, you were all I had left. Beyond everything…I truly did consider you my daughter Natsuko."

She gave him such a sad look that it nearly broke his heart, "Then why didn't you stay with me?" Living alone in Leaf, as the _embodiment_ of the Kyuubi no Kitsune was hell…to say the least. "Why did you leave me all alone?"

"I'll count that as one question. In a perfect world, I would have taken care of you…but we both know I had other duties to attend to. I just couldn't…besides, I didn't leave you completely. I came by, from time to time. Brought you a few gifts over the years." He sent her a sad smile. "

'That explains where those presents came from', she thought joyfully. Though minor, it was one of the highlights of her otherwise bleak life. The waitress finally came back with their sake, placing both saucers in front of the two, as well as a bottle. Natsuko grabbed the saucer and gestured for Jiraiya to do the same. "To a perfect world?" He chuckled bitterly at the lame toast but drank with her regardless. Placing down her drink, he dealt the cards, "Twenty-one, dealer wins."

"Mind if we stop playing and just talk for a while?"

"Can't, my boss is likely watching me. I AM his best dealer after all."

Jiraiya grinned at the girl. "You probably won't have to worry about that after a few hours", he offered.

She sent back a smirk, "Says an overconfident old man." That effectively brought back a pout.

Rolling his eyes, Jiraiya threw in another few chips. If he got her back to Konoha, it would all be worth it. All things considered, this would barely hurt his reserves. "How did you survive in a brothel for month without…you know?"

The young lady shrugged, "My…sensei, taught me a few skills." He scowled at the possible innuendo, making the girl talk a little faster. "The first skill she taught me was a powerful Genjutsu she called **Heavenly Illusion: Moment of Bliss**. It puts the target in a dream-like state where they enact their desire, _without_ me being involved. It was also a decent way to get money."

Jiraiya was impressed. If more Kunoichi had an ability like that, it'd make seduction missions a whole lot easier…and less reviled. "Who's your teacher?"

"That's two questions. Her name is Kasumi, the leader of the Kitsune Clan under the Fox Contract."

Jiraiya's eyes widened, "How? Was it the Kyuubi?"

She grinned, "Three and Four. No, the Kyuubi's relationship to the Fox Clan is…complicated, but he…**it** no longer has a connection to them, not anymore at least. She came to me of her own accord a few nights before I ran. I wanted freedom, she offered me power. The two seemed to go hand and hand, so I said yes. She was able to teach me a few tricks in my dreams, until I actually got to her in person. Twenty-one, dealer wins."

Jiraiya nodded, he'd ask more on that later.

"So, why aren't I in any Bingo Books, not that it really matters with my change in appearance. Though I suppose _you_ were able to find me."

"Your father can be very persuasive when he wants to be."

"You do know you just gave me an answer for free right?"

Jiraiya smirked, "No I didn't, that was just a question you asked." Her eyes widened before she gave a cute pout. "You have two left."

"Jerk."

"Yes I am, and proud of it."

"Twenty-one, dealer wins."

Jiraiya scowled. He quickly refilled both there saucers. 'First time I'm trying to get a girl drunk under pure intentions. Well, at least as pure as they could be, considering I want to drag her back to a place where most of the people hate her.'

"Fine, since you decided to bring up the topic, I guess I'll ask. Did you know?"

Jiraiya shrugged, "What, who they were or if they were still alive?"

"Both."

"Yes and no." So Jiraiya also thought they were dead.

'What the hell were they doing for thirteen years?' Natsuko asked herself with a scowl. 'Any other ninja would be classified a missing-nin by now', she thought bitterly. "Ask your questions."

"Why did you leave?"

She stared at him coolly, "I already answered that question."

"Not completely", he shot back. "You're holding something back from me."

Natsuko glared at the man, before glancing down, and smiling, "You bust, dealer wins." She cleaned up the cards and took Jiraiya's chips before grabbing her drink and downing the saucer completely. "Because you lied to me."

Jiraiya blinked, "Care to clarify?"

"Nope, it's my question. Who else knew about my…parents?" Natsuko asked.

With a sigh, Jiraiya began listing people off. "I'm assuming you mean, their identities." She nodded. "Of the people you knew personally: Sarutobi-sensei, Tsunade-hime, Kakashi…Shizune _probably_ found out later. Other than them, most of the village council." His heart dropped when he saw the girl's glowing blue eyes begin to tear up, she avoided making eye contact with him. Her breathing became slightly ragged.

The silence lasted for about three minutes before Natsuko composed herself enough to look at the man. "Have you ever felt like everyone around you knew everything about you, things that you yourself don't even know?" She started chuckling dryly. "Have you ever felt that those same people were planning out your life to the smallest detail…without even bothering to mention a damn thing to you?"

"No." Was the only answer that Jiraiya could mutter out.

"I'm so sick of people lying to me and manipulating me. That's another part of the reason I left Konoha to begin with." She then looked Jiraiya straight in the eye. "You know, I never even wanted to be a ninja."

That got Jiraiya's attention. As far as he knew, her dream was always to become the first female Hokage…until Tsunade came into the picture, and then it was the greatest Hokage ever. To find out that Natsuko didn't even want to be ninja was like finding out the sky was really green all along.

She looked down, "I wanted to be a chef, to make pastries and others sweets to be exact. People always looked so happy when they were eating sweets…" She continued. "I remember always thinking ninjas are these scary people and I don't want to be like them. I don't want to hurt people…yes even at that age I knew that ninja killed other people. I didn't want to hurt people, to kill them. I explained my concerns to old man Sarutobi when he wanted to enroll me in the Academy. He just smiled and patted me on the back." She scrunched her nose. "Two weeks later I was in the Academy, thinking that being a ninja would be the coolest thing in the world. All thoughts of wanting to make deserts for a living disappeared from my head. I no longer gave a damn that I would be **murdering** people for a living." She looked up at Jiraiya, looking almost frantic. The look caused the man to nearly flinched. "I was seven at the time. Is that just the behavior of a _child_, to constantly change their mind about what they want to do for a living? Or was my desire to become a ninja all a facade?"

It wasn't out of the realm of possibilities. There were many Genjutsus that could put psychic suggestions in a person's head. And though Sarutobi didn't want the girl to end up an emotionless weapon…he did want her to become a shinobi, to defend the village like a true Kunoichi of Konoha. Could he have manipulated her memories?

"Natsuko-chan?" They both turned towards a slightly overweight man, wearing a green robe. He was flanked by two large men, obviously bouncers. "Is everything alright?" He was obviously gesturing towards Jiraiya, as if to ask her _do you need help?_

Natsuko, through the use of some obviously magnificent acting, smiled at her boss, the owner of Eden. "Yea Mako-san, just having a heart to heart with my father here."

"Your father?" the man now identified as Mako raised an eyebrow before looking towards Jiraiya, who smiled back. He then looked at the blackjack table, "You're playing against your father, did he just meet you or something?" Mako was of course referring to the girl's luck. Honestly, instead of calling it the _Devil's Luck_, people at 'Eden' began calling it _Natsuko's Luck_.

Both Jiraiya and Natsuko, taking his comment a different way, just smiled nervously.

"Why don't you take the rest of the night off, I can find a good place for the two of you to catch up", he offered. "Perhaps catch a show?"

Natsuko nodded as she got up. "No thanks, but I'll take that night off actually and come back tomorrow." Jiraiya followed suit and stood up, taking a moment to pick up his remaining chips, which sadly weren't too many, and started walking towards the entrance. Natsuko followed him, but Mako put an arm on her shoulder. His large hand practically dwarfing her slender shoulder.

He gave her one last look as if to ask, _Are you sure you're ok?_

She smiled and gave the man a small peck on the cheek, before following after Jiraiya.

Mako frowned as his eyes followed Natsuko.

"Sir?", one of his men whispered in his ear. "Should we have some people follow her? To make sure she's alright." He offered in an obvious worried tone of voice.

The old man shook his head, "No, she'll be fine on her own." Unlike most of the people at Eden, he was aware of Natsuko's status as a ninja.

The man was obviously dissatisfied with the answer, but chose not to comment on it. "What do you think that was about?"

"I'm not quite sure but…I think I just lost my best dealer."

* * *

-x-

Both Jiraiya and Natsuko found themselves in the forest away from the village, about ten miles away to be exact. They decided to meet up in this exact location, after a quick change in outfits; what they wore before were obviously not meant to fight in.

Jiraiya was now dressed in his _normal_ attire, which seemed to suit him perfectly. Natsuko on the other hand, was actually dressed in something reminisce of the ANBU black ops. She didn't wear the chest armor, though she wore black bracers on her lower arms. Her faux red hair was loose, cascading down her back like a waterfall. At her hip was a beautifully adorned red and orange fox mask, an animal mask no longer used in Konoha for obvious reasons. And definitely nothing in such bright colors.

She looked at the man with those same, glowing blue eyes. "I have one more question."

Jiraiya nodded, "Good, because so do I. You can go first."

"I've heard rumors of people were hunting people like me, are they true?"

Jiraiya nodded again. "It's the reason I wanted to bring you back to the village, to protect you from them. They're all a bunch of S-class criminals Natsuko, you can't fight them alone. Please come back with me." he urged her.

"I'm done being protected and I'm done being manipulated." She said with a cold voice. "This is MY life to live. And I plan to live it."

"Tsunade misses you. So does Kakashi, Shizune, and that Iruka guy", he tried once more. He thought about saying that her family missed her, but honestly didn't think it would work

Natsuko scowled. She missed them to. Kakashi was really the only thing she truly liked about her team, despite his general apathy towards everything. Heck, when you compared him to Sasuke, who was a dumb bastard who struck a **Chidori** through her chest, and Sakura who constantly thought Natsuko was after _her_ Sasuke-kun, Kakashi was a saint. She truly did miss Tsunade and Shizune. And Iruka had been one of her closest friends for years now. In the end, all she could say was, "That's irrelevant now. Ask your question, or prepare to fight."

With a sigh, Jiraiya asked the question he had wanted to ask for some time now. "You said I lied to you, how?" The obvious thing would be if she had asked him about her parents, which she didn't. So that was out. Other than that, he truly couldn't put her finger on it.

Natsuko glared at the man, "You were suppose to take me out of the village, to train me. You said we would get to be on the road for years, _away_ from Konoha. Then you dropped me and said **our** trip was cancelled. You broke your promise to me", she snapped accusingly.

"Oh…" was the first thing to come out of Jiraiya's mouth. He wanted to slap himself for such a stupid response, but he did manage to recover. "I got overridden, your…I mean, people wanted you to stay in the village."

"You mean my parents", she said with venom in her voice. From the man's reaction, or lack of, she knew she had been right. "They were in that damn village for two weeks before I decided to leave, and they didn't even bother to speak with me. Yet my _father_", She spat the word out, "Decides that he has the right to plan out my life, despite the fact that he hasn't been around for thirteen years…lovely." She said with a false smile. Jiraiya had to agree with her. Minato wanted her to stay in the village so that he could test to see her growth and perhaps implement a few training programs in case he wasn't satisfied, none of which he planned to oversee personally. 'It was kinda a dick move' he thought to himself. "I'm sorry, but I'm going to end this quickly."

Jiraiya scowled at the girl, "You're a fool if you don't take me seriously."

She then put on a poker face. "I'm going to win because of two reasons. First off, you're going to underestimate me. Secondly, you're afraid of hurting me. If I win, you lose. If you win and accidentally kill me, then you still lose. The only way I lose is if you bring me back to the village _alive_. I have a significant advantage over you."

The toad sage frowned at that, she had a point. "That may be so, but-" he held out his right hand and formed a perfect **Rasengan**, "-since you survived a **Chidori** to the chest, I don't think I have to hold back so much."

She smirked at the man's proclamation. He held up right arm straight up and formed a perfect **Rasengan**. "You studied under the Toad Clan for years, let me show you what I learned from studying under the Fox Clan."

The man's eyes widened as he saw drops of water beginning to cascade in a spiral around the **Rasengan**. She was pulling in moisture from the air, sucking it in like a vacuum, towards whatever Jutsu she was preparing…and it was coming in with a frightening speed that normally isn't associated with water. All around her, plants began to wither away, soil began to erode, and even the clouds in the sky seem to be effected by whatever she was doing. Jiraiya quickly moved to intercept, her. 'Is she combining Form and Nature manipulation?'

Exactly ten seconds after Natsuko began her jutsu, she smiled, her eyes began to glow purple, "**Water Style: RasenUzumaki (Spiraling Whirlpool)"**

With that, the **Rasengan** exploded, sending water in every direction, engulfing Jiraiya in, what felt, like a tidal wave. As he was pushed backwards, he was constantly being slammed against every tree he got to close to. He attempted to right himself, to fight the wave, go with the wave, perform a jutsu, ANYTHING. Unfortunately, the water was moving far to quickly, and he was moving to randomly, the water following a spiraling pattern, obviously coming from the spiral shape of the original jutsu. He must have gone for at least fifty feet before the water calmed enough to let him move properly. He jumped up, landing on a tree branch.

Growling, he new he was going to feel his back in the morning. He'd be shocked if he _hadn't_ broken anything. He looked to the right, and quickly went through a series of seals. "**Fire Style: Dragon Fire Technique!**" He blew out a long stream of fire, hoping to buy himself some time. What he felt shocked him though. Natsuko didn't move from her spot. She allowed herself to be engulfed by the fire. He'd know if she pulled a **Replacement Technique** and if it was a **Shadow Clone** he wouldn't still be feeling her in there, in the fire.

"**Kitsune Style:**-" His eyes widened as he heard her voice, relief rising in his chest. "**Soul Fire**" she finished. It took him a moment, but he could clearly see a bright purple flame within the red one. Calmly, to his annoyance, she walked out of the fire he created, surrounded by that beautiful violet flame.

Jiraiya smiled wearily, "So you learned a few things from the Fox Clan?"

The purple aura receded. "A defensive technique only a Kitsune can use."

"So why can you use it?"

She smirked. "Remember when you told me about your Sage mode?" He nodded, curiously. "It's the same principle, though instead of using nature chakra, I use the Kyuubi's chakra." Jiraiya's eyes widened. "Kasumi showed me how." Her now purple eyes glowed even more as purple flames enveloped her hands. He shot out like a rocket, zig-zagging between trees, a ghostly afterimage surrounding her, making the girl hard to see. Unfortunately, what the old man saw from his perspective made him shudder.

"Red Flash." Unfortunately, his thoughts left him distracted enough for her to strike Jiraiya in the face, sending the man flying backwards. The man managed to flip himself over, landing on his feet with surprising grace, considering his state. The fire around her fists didn't seem to burn him, though he had to wonder what it did do. Wincing in slight pain, he bitterly thought 'Ok…this injury hurt me more than I originally thought, and Natsuko has a _Sage Mode_. It'll take me too long to gather the chakra to activate **my** Sage mode. Maybe I should…'

"I don't suggest you perform a summoning, by the way." Natsuko began, making the man scowl. "I can summon Kitsune as large as the Kyuubi no Yoko." The proclamation made the man flinch. "If you want to get into a Giant Summons battle go ahead…I wouldn't recommend it though. Overconfidence aside, we both know I have more chakra", she winked at the man again. She shot out again, in what appeared to Jiraiya as a red flash. She appeared right next to him and punched him in the stomach. Her eyes widened when Jiraiya exploded in a puff of smoke, leaving behind multiple tiny sheets of paper, which attached themselves to her. She fell to her knees.

"Demon Suppressant seals." She turned her head to look at Jiraiya, who was standing a few feet away. "Used to revert a Jinchuuriki using demonic chakra into just another one of us _helpless_ humans." His heart skipped a beat when she gave him another one of those _damned_ smiles she was known for.

"The Kyuubi has been out of the equation for some time now, the chakra's mine Jiraiya." His eyes widened when he saw her hair grow and shoot straight into the ground. He flinched when he felt something stab into his left leg. Looking down, correctly guessing what it was, he saw her hair coming up from the ground and going into his foot. A red flash was the only warning he received as he looked up. His eyes widened as he saw her in front of him, holding a purple **Rasengan** in each hand. Her face was an inch from his own, looking teary eyed at him. "I love you", she whispered as she slammed both spheres into his chest.

Jiraiya went flying back for nearly ten feet, crashing hard enough into the ground to make Natsuko wince. As she watched him lay there motionless, she extended her senses to make sure he didn't perform a replacement with a clone or something else. When she was satisfied with what she found, she began walking towards him. Her senses were alays at their peak whenever she activated her **(Fox) Priestess Mode, **what she called _her_ version of the **Sage Mode**. As she walked towards the downed man, she allowed her eyes to go back to their ordinary, yet still glowing, blue color. Her hair also returned to its original length, coming up from underground. As she continued walking, she began doing hand seals, using the blood in her hair, Jiraiya's blood, as a medium. "**Summoning Art: Toad Summon**." With an explosion of smoke, Gamabunta appeared under both her and the unconscious Jiraiya. She kneeled down next to the Toad Sage and looked at him sadly.

He was unconscious, obviously. If he hadn't been she probably would have declared him the winner on perseverance alone…_probably_. **"Who are you? What happened to Jiraiya?"** Gamabunta looked around nervously for signs of an attacker.

On top of his head, Natsuko kissed Jiraiya on his forehead, before getting up. "Despite our little time together, I really did consider you a father" she whispered sadly, before turning her attention towards the beast she summoned. "Gamabunta!"

"**Who are you?"** he repeated his question, with the same authoritative tone he always held.

"Natsuko." She answered.

His eyes widened.

"I leave Jiraiya in your hands. Oh, and please have my contract with your Family annulled."

"But-"

She blew him a kiss and smiled, "Thank you for everything." She said as she jumped off of Gamabunta's head and disappeared in a red flash. She left behind a hurt Jiraiya and a very confused Gamabunta.

"**Shits going to hit the fan when Konoha hears about this…"** the giant toad announced to no one in particular.

* * *

-x- Back at Eden –x-

'And just like that, I'm free.' Natsuko thought blissfully as she eased through an open window, on the fourth story of Eden, with all the grace of a cat. Her boss sat at his desk, in the center of the room.

He furrowed his eyebrows at her sudden appearance. "You were fighting." Mako was a pacifist by nature. It didn't stop him from hiring bouncers and other bodyguards to protect those that worked under him, mostly the women who wore revealing outfits, but he still abhorred violence. "That man wasn't your father, was he?"

"In some families, you don't need to be blood to be related."

Mako nodded, "To true. I'm guessing they know you're here?"

"Jiraiya, my _father_, may or may not keep my location a secret. It depends how strongly he feels on the foolish notion that I need to be protected, which I'm guessing is a lot." Left I unsaid was the factor of Gamabunta. While the toad was as much of a wild card, in this topic, as Jiraiya was…the forest where they were fighting was not nearly as remote as it could have been. She was sure _someone_ saw the Toad. She knew it wouldn't be long before Leaf-nins found her.

The older man nodded, as he lit a pipe. "Though I haven't seen him with my own eyes, I hear the Yellow Flash is back." At the old nickname, Natsuko's eyes narrowed. "Can you defeat him?"

She sighed, "After what I did to his sensei, I doubt he'll make it as easy for me." She had no doubt in her mind that Jiraiya lost so easily because he underestimated her, just like she said he would. While she knew she could have defeated the man otherwise, it wouldn't have been nearly as easy to do if he had taken her seriously from the start. Minato on the other hand, would probably come, chakra blazing after what she did to Jiraiya. "I believe I have the power to match the 'Legendary' Yellow Flash" She said the legendary part with a bit of sarcasm. "However, it won't be simple enough that we won't destroy a few buildings or hurt some civilians…if they happen to be in the way…"

Mako sighed, "Somehow, I knew you were leaving."

"I'm sorry", she said sadly.

"Don't be." He got up and grabbed a small duffle bag that was by his desk, before walking towards the girl. She accepted the bag, "It's the money I owe you, plus a little extra as incentive to come back. You're not just my best dealer…everybody here loves you."

She smiled at him. She had become good friends with most of the people at Eden, 'It reels good to be loved', she thought with some warmth in her chest. "I'm going to say goodbye to the others."

He nodded as she turned to leave.

-x- Epilogue –x-

In the following three months, in completely (un)related topic, rumors began circulating around that Minato Namikaze got his name, the Yellow Flash, from his various performances in bed. Or his lack of, as it was.

When asked about it, the man let out a large aura of killer intent that sent the offending person away. Most people assumed the rumor started in Iwagakure. The current Tsuchikage, Onoki of Both Scales, claims to have evidence in support of the rumor…though none of this supposed evidence has yet to be given.

Jiraiya, for some reason, laughed at the face of his apprentice, whenever it got to him.

As for Natsuko…

* * *

-x-

The red head was currently pulling a tray out of an oven. She placed it down on the counter and allowed the _heavenly_ aroma to fill her nostrils. She definitely approved, now she just needed to get her roommate's, and current teacher's, approval. The months following Jiraiya's visit she had decided to follow her childhood dream…or at least begin learning. After the Akatsuki were dealt with, she'd decide what to do afterwards. Perhaps go back to Eden, under a different name, perhaps she'd settle down somewhere and open a bakery. She'd decide exactly what she wanted later. The point was…it was her life to live, and she would live it with no regrets.

She winced slightly as the ground around her shook, moving with the same cat-like grace, she grabbed a mirror that was about to fall off the counter. "Just saved some poor bastard seven years bad luck", she thought with a huff as she placed the mirror back on the counter. She grabbed one of the cookies she had just finished baking and moved to the door, savoring the sweet taste. "He's been gone a while now." She opened the door and stepped outside, and called out, "KIRABI!"

She looked down the long steps, one hundred to be exact, and saw her new teacher, Kirabi, surrounded by four other people. She only recognized one of them.

Sasuke smirked, as he launched himself up the steps. They had been getting a major spanking from Kirabi and perhaps grabbing a hostage would even things out. He didn't think it strange that Kirabi made no motion to follow. In fact, his teammates would later state that Kirabi looked at the ascending Uchiha with nothing but utter amusement in his eyes. It wasn't until he was half way up that the Uchiha noticed the whisker-marks on the girl's face. 'It can't be?' he thought in slight confusion. Natsuko was a homely little thing; no way she grew _that_ hot in a couple of years.

The girl gave a devilish grin as she popped the rest of her cookie in her mouth. Her blue eyes began glowing purple as she launched herself at the Uchiha, a purple **Rasengan** growing in each hand.

His eyes widened, 'Natsuko!' Upon seeing the girl move, he realized two things right off the back. The first was that he couldn't read the girl's movements, heck she looked like a red ghost to his **Sharingan**. The second one was much less of a realization and more of an admiration. 'She grew nice boobies…' he thought perversely. And then, with her superior speed, she slammed both **Rasengans** into the Uchiha.

And man, did it feel good…for Natsuko, definitely not for Sasuke.

**

* * *

A/N: A short one-shot I've had in my head for a while now. Love it? Hate it? Please review.**


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